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“It’s that time of year again – when you are likely to see as many charitable pleas as you are brussels sprouts. That being said, when something truly valuable crops up, we pay attention.

At Counter Context, we love our home city and investing in Sheffield is somewhat of a no-brainer to us. We live here, work here, socialise here and go for those all-important Christmas drinks here. But not everyone has that luxury to just go out, socialise, celebrate the good times and plan those New Year’s resolutions that mostly get forgotten by the time Christmas dinner is digested. In fact, many people feel very lonely when it comes to Christmas time.

As a company we know how privileged we are and we want to give something back to the people of Sheffield - something that has a real tangible impact on the city and people’s lives. We have supported a number of good causes this year and when we were approached by Museums Sheffield to support their Big Give Christmas Challenge, we were only too happy to oblige.

Museums Sheffield and the Big Give Christmas Challenge initiative aim to raise funds to hold Dementia Friendly Cafes across museums in Sheffield. The cafes will provide welcoming spaces for creative activities, historical object handling and reminiscence. These types of activities make a real and proven difference to those living with dementia.

We were astounded to hear that in Sheffield alone, 6,000 people currently live with dementia. Nationally, it is estimated that the number of people living with dementia in the UK by 2025 will rise to over 1 million. These are not small numbers. That’s why we want to help.

Alexis, Managing Director at Counter Context, explains:

“We are always looking for ways to support our city. This initiative aims to genuinely help the people of Sheffield who are living every day with dementia. It’s a simple, straightforward way to make their lives better and we’re really proud to be involved. But we need your help – the Christmas Challenge is a match funding campaign so if you give, we give. This is a chance to invest in something truly tangible for Sheffield – we can’t wait to hit the target and see and hear about the cafes really making a difference to people’s lives.”

The Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest online match funding campaign. Museums Sheffield has a fundraising target of £4,000. We, along with Quality Context and the Postcode Support Trust, have pledged £2,000 for the matching pot. To reach the £4,000 target, Museums Sheffield needs online donations between 28 November and 5 December from the public. For one week only, we’ll be matching your online donations so that they are worth double. Find out how to donate here.”